Otley Bookfest 2026 - Graphic Novels & Documentary

Graphic Novels & Documentary
Saturday 28 November • Doors 1pm • Showtime1.30pm–3.30pm
Wesley Hall, Otley Common

Ant Cotton hosts The Rickard Sisters, Darryl Cunningham and Jacky Fleming on using drawings to make an argument. Radical history, graphic non-fiction and forty years of very good cartoons.

The Rickard Sisters

Scarlett and Sophie Rickard are sisters who make graphic novels. They’ve been writing and drawing ever since they were children, and now they do it together. Best known for their graphic adaptations of hard-hitting Edwardian political books, from their Eisner-nominated The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists to their most recent book, This Slavery, which was shortlisted this year for the British Book Awards, they will take you on an entertaining illustrated tour of their work, covering their process, their politics, their inspiration, and what it’s like to work with your sister. There will be an opportunity for questions and signing afterwards.

Darryl Cunningham

Darryl is the cartoonist creator of numerous books published internationally, which include Psychiatric Tales, Science Tales, Supercrash, Graphic Science, Billionaires: The Lives of the Rich and Powerful, Putin: The Rise of a Dictator, and Elon Musk: American Oligarch. His non-fiction books use cartooning to explain complex subjects, such as mental health, science, economics and politics in a clear and concise way. He lives in Wakefield.

Jacky Fleming

Jacky Fleming is a renowned British feminist cartoonist, artist, and author known for her distinctive drawing style and satirical, sociopolitical commentary on gender roles and history. Her cartoons first gained prominence through pre-internet postcards, while her latest book highlights the systemic, historical erasure of women's achievements. Her recent work includes a series of rather beautiful botanical paintings in the main hut of Burley Model Allotments.

Tickets £10 (plus small booking fee)

We want everyone to feel welcome at Otley Common. If you have any access requirements or need any support to attend this event, please get in touch with us before the day and we'll do our best to help. hello@otleycommon.org